The Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center’s Yakutat Seal Camps project is a multidisciplinary study of 900 years of interaction between people, seals and glaciers at Yakutat Bay, Alaska. Join us for a journey into Yakutat’s history in one of the Smithsonian Spotlight events hosted by the Anchorage Museum.

In his new book “A Guide to the Notorious Bars of Alaska,” Douglas Vandegraft brings readers the full story behind Alaska’s most legendary bars – 135 of them – many of which have been around since the end of Prohibition in 1933. Vandegraft brings 14 years of research to the table in his new book, which hits the bookshelves last week.

The second Arctic Human Development Report is an assessment of trends that affect sustainable human development among residents of the circumpolar world. The first report came out in 2004. In the forthcoming report, authors from around the world compare and contrast cultural, economic, political and social conditions among the eight Arctic countries and in the world at large, and contribute to the knowledge and understanding of the consequences and interplay of physical and social global change processes for human living conditions and adaptability.

Farah Killidar has extensive experience in the Middle East, and once served as executive director of the Alaska World Affairs Council. She talks about how global and regional events have shaped the Iraq of today. Her talk, “Iraq: The Beginning of the End,” was hosted by the Alaska World Affairs Council.

Alaska historian and speaker Laurel Downing Bill shares stories from Alaska’s colorful past. Bill, author of the award-winning Aunt Phil’s Trunk history series, has entertained audiences across the country with little-known tales from the Last Frontier.

Ballot Measure 4 would require the Legislature’s approval for any large-scale, metallic sulfide mine plans in Bristol Bay. It’s being put to a vote in November. Alaska Common Ground brings four panelists together to debate what’s being called the “Bristol Bay Forever” initiative, two in favor and two opposed.

This week on Addressing Alaskans, we’re bringing you a special production with BBQ demigod Steve Raichlen. He spent a few days with us in Anchorage this summer sharing his passion for cooking over an open flame. Raichlen sits down for a spicy chat with Alaska Public Media’s Pat Yack while he was here.

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski will brief the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce on news from Washington, D.C., that matters to Alaskans. Natural resource development, the state’s economy, health care reform and global climate change are just some of the issues Alaskans face. How are these topics being handled by lawmakers in Washington?

As Republicans try to regain control of the U.S. Senate, Alaska’s race is attracting new levels of national attention and an unprecedented volume of Outside money. Three Republicans are running for the chance to take on Democratic incumbent Sen. Mark Begich in the November election. One is Alaska Lt. Governor and entrepreneur, Mead Treadwell. Ex-DNR commissioner and former Alaska attorney general Dan Sullivan is also vying for the job. And third, Joe Miller, a combat veteran and Yale Law School grad who calls his rivals too moderate. Hear all three at a debate hosted by the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce.

Alaska voters have the opportunity to say ‘yay’ or ‘nay’ on a higher minimum wage. Ballot Measure 3 would raise the state’s minimum wage from $7.75 per hour to $9.75 over the next two years, and then adjust the minimum wage for inflation each year after 2016. What are the potential effects to Alaska’s economy? Is this a win for businesses and for workers, or does one side benefit at the other’s expense? Hear the minimum wage initiative debated at a public forum hosted by Alaska Common Ground.

Taxes from oil production pay for a hefty chunk of Alaska’s state government. Last year the Legislature narrowly passed Senate Bill 21, which offers tax cuts to encourage more drilling in the wake of declining oil production statewide. On August 19, voters will have the chance to repeal those cuts. Alaska Common Ground brings panelists from both sides of the debate to hash out the details of the oil tax referendum on the table.

Alaska could follow in the footsteps of Colorado and Washington if voters choose to legalize marijuana in November. Ballot Measure 2 would tax and regulate the production, sale and use of marijuana in Alaska. Hear Kristina Woolston and Taylor Bickford debate what that means for the state in a debate hosted by the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce.

Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor Bob Williams and Hollis French square off in a debate hosted by the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce. Hear each candidate discuss their visions for the future of Alaska. Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, Anchorage mayor Dan Sullivan, and independent candidate Craig Fleener are also vying for office but will not be on the ballot during the August primary.

Join author Mary Breu as she tells the story of her great aunt Etta Jones. Breu is the author of “Last Letters From Attu: The True Story of Etta Jones, Alaska Pioneer and Japanese P.O.W.” Etta Jones was working as a schoolteacher on the Aleutians when the Japanese invaded Attu. She spent more than three years as a prisoner of war in Japan. Breu recounts Etta’s stories of Alaska, the frontier and of P.O.W. camp.

Join British ambassador to the United States, Sir Peter Westmacott, for a talk on U.K.-Alaska relations hosted by the Alaska World Affairs Council. British tourists make up nearly a third of all foreign visitors to Alaska. “Brits are quite adventurous people, as they were back in Captain Cook’s time,” Westmacott says. They’re also among the world’s top consumers of canned Alaska salmon. Hear Westmacott’s perspective from across the pond on Alaska, the Arctic and more.

The Alaska Constitution reads, “The Legislature shall provide for the utilization, development, and conservation of all natural resources belonging to the state, including land and waters, for the maximum benefit of its people.” Hear a panel of three experts organized by Commonwealth North discuss what it means to ensure “maximum benefit” as the state evaluates becoming a joint owner in a North Slope natural gas pipeline project. Panelists include Marty Rutherford, Dermot Cole and Gunnar Knapp.

“There are old pilots, there are bold pilots, but you’ll never find an old, bold pilot.” Not true in Alaska. Old school bush pilots to tell their boldest stories about Alaska aviation during an evening of storytelling at the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum. Pilots include: Dick Reeve, Chuck Sassara, Warren Polski, Bill English and Ron Sheardown.

Anchorage Museum history curator Katie Ringsmuth talks about the Snug Harbor salmon cannery. A mix of cultures and gender dynamics shaped Cook Inlet life while the cannery was in operation for sixty years. Join us for a rich journey into cannery life in early Alaska during this lecture, hosted by the Cook Inlet Historical Society and recorded at the Anchorage Museum.

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Mission: To serve as a trusted public forum and education source that inspires Alaskans with stories of their time and place, informs them with news from the local to the global, and connects them to a statewide community through shared experiences and interests.